CVE-2016-10625: Headless browser lite Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-g95j-p8f6-pwh4
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CVSS 8.1
CWE-311
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2016-10625 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.1) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-311: Missing Encryption of Sensitive Data) affecting Headless browser lite libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves headless-browser-lite downloads resources over http. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2015.4.18-a.

CVE-2016-10625 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2016-10625
GHSA Identifier GHSA-g95j-p8f6-pwh4
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.1
CWE Classification CWE-311: Missing Encryption of Sensitive Data
Affected Product Headless browser lite
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.1

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2016-10625

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Headless browser lite dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

headless-browser-lite fixed: 2015.4.18-a 
npm install headless-browser-lite@2015.4.18-a
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

npm ls headless-browser-lite

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2016-10625, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls headless-browser-lite

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Headless browser lite in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2015.4.18-a), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls headless-browser-lite command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-311: Missing Encryption of Sensitive Data, where the product does not encrypt sensitive or critical information before storage or transmission. In Headless browser lite, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

Affected versions of `headless-browser-lite` insecurely download an executable over an unencrypted HTTP connection. In scenarios where an attacker has a privileged network position, it is possible to intercept the response and replace the executable with a malicious one, resulting in code execution on the system running `headless-browser-lite`. ## Recommendation Update to version 2015.4.18-a or later.

CVE-2016-10625 Affected Headless browser lite Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2015.4.18-a
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
headless-browser-lite
npm/headless-browser-lite
npm
< 2015.4.18-a
2015.4.18-a

References

NVD — CVE-2016-10625 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-10625
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/kaizhu256/node-phantomjs-lite/commit/96f766e5674e8462b5f5bbd4494390988f0a3916
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/kaizhu256/node-phantomjs-lite/commit/f6e2a9489446a1dabe175aa8c14a1c55ca824520
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-g95j-p8f6-pwh4
www.npmjs.com/advisories/230 WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/230

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-10625?
CVE-2016-10625 is a security vulnerability in Headless browser lite involving headless-browser-lite downloads Resources over HTTP under CWE-311: Missing Encryption of Sensitive Data.
Which Headless browser lite versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2015.4.18-a across affected packages: headless-browser-lite.
What version fixes CVE-2016-10625?
Upgrading to 2015.4.18-a (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is headless-browser-lite affected?
Yes, headless-browser-lite is affected in releases prior to 2015.4.18-a. Upgrade your dependency to 2015.4.18-a or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-10625?
CVE-2016-10625 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2016-10625?
CVE-2016-10625 is classified under CWE-311: Missing Encryption of Sensitive Data (The product does not encrypt sensitive or critical information before storage or transmission.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2016-10625?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls headless-browser-lite'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-g95j-p8f6-pwh4",
  "modified" : "2023-09-13T19:39:29Z",
  "published" : "2019-02-18T23:56:58Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2016-10625" ],
  "summary" : "headless-browser-lite downloads Resources over HTTP",
  "details" : "Affected versions of `headless-browser-lite` insecurely download an executable over an unencrypted HTTP connection. \n\nIn scenarios where an attacker has a privileged network position, it is possible to intercept the response and replace the executable with a malicious one, resulting in code execution on the system running `headless-browser-lite`.\n\n\n## Recommendation\n\nUpdate to version 2015.4.18-a or later.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "headless-browser-lite"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2015.4.18-a"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 2015.4.3-10"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-10625"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/kaizhu256/node-phantomjs-lite/commit/96f766e5674e8462b5f5bbd4494390988f0a3916"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/kaizhu256/node-phantomjs-lite/commit/f6e2a9489446a1dabe175aa8c14a1c55ca824520"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-g95j-p8f6-pwh4"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/230"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-311" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:36:41Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}